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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices

be a discussion of a Joint Gulf and South
Atlantic SSC Meeting in May 2020.
Lastly, the Committees will discuss
any Other Business items.
—Meeting Adjourns
The meeting will be broadcast via
webinar. You may register for the
webinar by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org
and clicking on the SSC meeting on the
calendar.
The Agenda is subject to change, and
the latest version along with other
meeting materials will be posted on
www.gulfcouncil.org as they become
available.
Although other non-emergency issues
not on the agenda may come before the
Scientific and Statistical Committees for
discussion, in accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
those issues may not be the subject of
formal action during this meeting.
Actions of the Scientific and Statistical
Committee will be restricted to those
issues specifically identified in the
agenda and any issues arising after
publication of this notice that require
emergency action under Section 305(c)
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
provided the public has been notified of
the Council’s intent to take action to
address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to
Kathy Pereira at the Gulf Council Office
(see ADDRESSES), at least 5 working days
prior to the meeting.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 17, 2019.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–27537 Filed 12–19–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Statement of
Financial Interests, Regional Fishery
Management Councils
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

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The Department of
Commerce, as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed and/or
continuing information collections, as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995.
DATES: To ensure consideration, written
or on-line comments must be submitted
on or before February 18, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer,
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159,
Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the internet
at [email protected]). All
comments received are part of the
public record. Comments will generally
be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for
example, name and address) voluntarily
submitted by the commenter may be
publicly accessible. Do not submit
Confidential Business Information or
otherwise sensitive or protected
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument and instructions should be
directed to Diane Daly, (301) 427–8573
or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

I. Abstract
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson Stevens Act) authorizes the
establishment of Regional Fishery
Management Councils to exercise sound
judgment in the stewardship of fishery
resources through the preparation,
monitoring, and revision of such fishery
management plans under circumstances
(a) which will enable the States, the
fishing industry, consumers,
environmental organizations, and other
interested persons to participate in the
development of such plans, and (b)
which take into account the social and
economic needs of fishermen and
dependent communities.
Section 302(j) of the MagnusonStevens Act requires that Council
members appointed by the Secretary,
Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC) members appointed by a Council
under Section 302(g)(1), or individuals
nominated by the Governor of a State for
possible appointment as a Council
member, disclose their financial interest
in any Council fishery. These interests
include harvesting, processing,
lobbying, advocacy, or marketing
activity that is being, or will be,
undertaken within any fishery over
which the Council concerned has

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jurisdiction, or with respect to an
individual or organization with a
financial interest in such activity. The
authority to require this information and
reporting and filing requirements has
not changed. NOAA Fisheries is in the
process of conducting minor revisions
to the form by adding clearer
instructions and clarifying some of the
questions asked to ensure the questions
are consistent with the regulatory
requirements. Revisions will also
include a specific check box to indicate
that a Council nominee, and not a
member, is completing the form.
The Secretary is required to submit an
annual report to Congress on action
taken by the Secretary and the Councils
to implement the disclosure of financial
interest and recusal requirements,
including identification of any conflict
of interest problems with respect to the
Councils and SSCs and
recommendations for addressing any
such problems.
The Act further provides that a
member shall not vote on a Council
decision that would have a significant
and predictable effect on a financial
interest if there is a close causal link
between the Council decision and an
expected and substantially
disproportionate benefit to the financial
interest of the affected individual
relative to the financial interest of other
participants in the same gear type or
sector of the fishery. However, an
affected individual who is declared
ineligible to vote on a Council action
may participate in Council deliberations
relating to the decision after notifying
the Council of his/her recusal and
identifying the financial interest that
would be affected.
II. Method of Collection
Respondents submit paper forms. The
forms and related instructions are
available to the public on the internet
and can be completed online and
printed. Seated Council members
appointed by the Secretary, including
the Tribal Government appointee and
SSC members, must file a financial
interest form within 45 days of taking
office and must provide updates of their
statements at any time any such
financial interest is acquired, or
substantially changed.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0648–0192.
Form Number: NOAA Form 88–195.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(request for extension of a current
information collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.

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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2019 / Notices
Estimated Number of Respondents:
330.
Estimated Time per Response: 45
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 247.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $353.10 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2019–27472 Filed 12–19–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XY054]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; North Pacific Halibut
and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota
Cost Recovery Programs
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of standard prices and
fee percentage.
AGENCY:

NMFS publishes the
individual fishing quota (IFQ) standard
prices and fee percentage for cost
recovery for the IFQ Program for the
halibut and sablefish fisheries of the
North Pacific (IFQ Program). The fee
percentage for 2019 is 3.0 percent. This
action is intended to provide holders of
halibut and sablefish IFQ permits with

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SUMMARY:

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the 2019 standard prices and fee
percentage to calculate the required
payment for IFQ cost recovery fees due
by January 31, 2020.
DATES: The standard prices and fee
percentages are valid on December 20,
2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl
Greene, Fee Coordinator, 907–586–7105.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NMFS Alaska Region administers the
IFQ Program in the North Pacific. The
IFQ Program is a limited access system
authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.
Fishing under the IFQ Program began in
March 1995. Regulations implementing
the IFQ Program are set forth at 50 CFR
part 679.
In 1996, the Magnuson-Stevens Act
was amended to, among other purposes,
require the Secretary of Commerce to
‘‘collect a fee to recover the actual costs
directly related to the management and
enforcement of any . . . individual
quota program.’’ This requirement was
further amended in 2006 to include
collection of the actual costs of data
collection, and to replace the reference
to ‘‘individual quota program’’ with a
more general reference to ‘‘limited
access privilege program’’ at section
304(d)(2)(A). Section 304(d)(2) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act also specifies an
upper limit on these fees, when the fees
must be collected, and where the fees
must be deposited.
On March 20, 2000, NMFS published
regulations in § 679.45 implementing
cost recovery for the IFQ Program (65
FR 14919). Under the regulations, an
IFQ permit holder must pay a cost
recovery fee for every pound of IFQ
halibut and IFQ sablefish that is landed
on his or her IFQ permit(s). The IFQ
permit holder is responsible for selfcollecting the fee for all IFQ halibut and
IFQ sablefish landings on his or her
permit(s). The IFQ permit holder is also
responsible for submitting IFQ fee
payment(s) to NMFS on or before the
due date of January 31 of the year
following the year in which the IFQ
landings were made. The total dollar
amount of the fee due is determined by
multiplying the NMFS published fee
percentage by the ex-vessel value of all
IFQ landings made on the permit(s)
during the IFQ fishing year. As required
by § 679.45(d)(1) and (d)(3)(i), NMFS
publishes this notice of the fee
percentage for the halibut and sablefish
IFQ fisheries in the Federal Register

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70153

during or before the last quarter of each
year.
Standard Prices
The fee is based on the sum of all
payments made to fishermen for the sale
of the fish during the year. This
includes any retro-payments (e.g.,
bonuses, delayed partial payments,
post-season payments) made to the IFQ
permit holder for previously landed IFQ
halibut or sablefish.
For purposes of calculating IFQ cost
recovery fees, NMFS distinguishes
between two types of ex-vessel value:
Actual and standard. Actual ex-vessel
value is the amount of all compensation,
monetary or non-monetary, that an IFQ
permit holder received as payment for
his or her IFQ fish sold. Standard exvessel value is the default value used to
calculate the fee. IFQ permit holders
have the option of using actual ex-vessel
value if they can satisfactorily document
it; otherwise, the standard ex-vessel
value is used.
Section 679.45(b)(3)(iii) requires the
Regional Administrator to publish IFQ
standard prices during the last quarter
of each calendar year. These standard
prices are used, along with estimates of
IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish landings,
to calculate standard ex-vessel values.
The standard prices are described in
U.S. dollars per IFQ equivalent pound
for IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish
landings made during the year.
According to § 679.2, IFQ equivalent
pound(s) means the weight amount,
recorded in pounds, and calculated as
round weight for sablefish and headed
and gutted weight for halibut, for an IFQ
landing. The weight of halibut in
pounds landed as guided angler fish is
converted to IFQ equivalent pound(s) as
specified in § 300.65(c) of this title.
NMFS calculates the standard prices to
closely reflect the variations in the
actual ex-vessel values of IFQ halibut
and IFQ sablefish landings by month
and port or port-group. The standard
prices for IFQ halibut and IFQ sablefish
are listed in the tables that follow the
next section. Data from ports are
combined as necessary to protect
confidentiality.
Fee Percentage
NMFS calculates the fee percentage
each year according to the factors and
methods described at § 679.45(d)(2).
NMFS determines the fee percentage
that applies to landings made in the
previous year by dividing the total costs
directly related to the management, data
collection, and enforcement of the IFQ
Program (management costs) during the
previous year by the total standard exvessel value of IFQ halibut and IFQ

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